Aluminum foil pans are widely used for cooking since they are very efficient in quickly distributing heat and are also inexpensive, thus making them disposable. A wide variety of shapes and sizes of aluminum pans have been developed for use with food items baked in an oven. Generally, such pans have an upper curled-over lip which adds a degree of rigidity and strength to the pan. Also, stamped crease lines are provided in both the bottom wall and side wall of the pan for additional reinforcement. However, due to the relatively thin and flimsy nature of the aluminum gauges commonly used, such reinforcement still fails to prevent the pan from buckling or twisting as the user carries the filled pan to or from the oven.
A significant buckling problem is found with pans that are intended for use in baking heavier items, such as turkeys, hams, roasts, etc. This problem is particularly acute when the baking process has ended and the user attempts to extract the pan from the oven when it is very hot. If there are liquids in the pan, such as cooking juices, gravy and the like, the user must take great care to prevent spillage, as well as avoiding burning the hands. Oftentimes, two people must attempt to grasp opposite ends of an aluminum pan and hold it level during transport from the oven.
It would be desirable to provide a holder or rack for supporting a disposable-type metal foil pan. Further, it would be advantageous if such a holder could be readily engaged with such a pan to form a combined cooking utensil. It would be beneficial if the pan were supported on both its bottom wall and side wall, and it would be beneficial if such support could be provided at a variety of places around the pan. For example, with a rectangular pan having four sides, it would be desirable to support the pan on all four sides.